


Empathy

by AutisticWriter



Series: Autism Acceptance Month [32]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Autism, Autism Spectrum, Autistic Connie Maheswaran, Autistic Creative Challenge, Confusion, Empathy, Established Relationship, F/M, Ficlet, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Tumblr Prompt, autism acceptance month
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 07:18:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14491713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutisticWriter/pseuds/AutisticWriter
Summary: Connie has a complicated relationship with empathy. But, as Steven points out, this isn’t a bad thing.[Prompt 28: Empathy]





	Empathy

Lots of autistic people struggle with empathy: the ability to share the emotional state of another person. Whether they don’t understand empathy at all and feel helpless to see someone else struggling, or are too empathetic and end up sobbing along with someone as they cry, it can be very common for autistic people to find ‘normal’ levels of empathy a complete mystery.

Connie is one of these people. She struggles with hyperempathy, noticing what emotional state other people are in and falling into the state herself. If she sees her dad in a bad mood, Connie ends up filled with anger, even though she doesn’t know what has annoyed him. If she sees her mom crying, her eyes fill with tears and she sobs along with her, despite not understanding why Mom is so sad. And if she sees Steven laughing, Connie grins and giggles along with him, sharing in his ecstatic emotional state despite not knowing what is so funny.

Although, as Steven once pointed out, differences in empathy aren’t a bad thing. It might annoy you to not understand empathy in the same way as other people, but it doesn’t matter. Anyway, empathy isn’t important; compassion (the act of comforting people when they are upset or otherwise experiencing negative emotions) is much more important, and has nothing to do with your empathy levels.

And Steven finds her hyperempathy very sweet. He puts his arm around her and kisses her cheek as he whispers, “It’s just one of the many reasons why I love you, Connie.”

And, feeling his happiness as well as her own, Connie smiles and kisses him back. “Thank you. I love you too.”


End file.
